COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs Head Softball Coach Dwight Sanders has announced the hiring of Sam Woodley as his assistant coach.
"I am excited to add Sam to the program," said Sanders. "She brings experience coaching at the Division I level and is a complete student of the game. Her experience in developing athletes in all areas of the game is impressive. Her attention to detail is something I always look for in an assistant and she checked that box 100%. She is very passionate about the game and shares the same vision I have for this program. I have no doubt she will help us grow the program and help provide a championship experience year in and out."
Woodley joins the UCCS softball coaching staff after spending a total of three seasons with the softball program at Abilene Christian University. Woodley, who earned her Master of Science in Management in May 2022 from ACU, served as a graduate assistant for the Wildcats' softball program for two years before transitioning into her most recent role as a volunteer assistant coach.
"I want to thank Head Coach Dwight Sanders for the opportunity to join the Mountain Lion Family," exclaimed Woodley. "I am incredibly humbled by this opportunity and grateful to work for a head coach and athletic department that continually invests in student-athletes both on and off the field. I believe in Coach Sanders' coaching philosophy and vision for the program, and I am excited to work alongside him and our team to develop UCCS softball into a perennial championship contender."
During her two seasons as a graduate assistant with the program, Woodley provided on-field assistance with the offense and the catchers while also serving as a content creator for the team's various social media accounts. She also assisted the head coach with coordinating various community service opportunities and team bonding events. Upon moving into her role as a volunteer assistant coach with the Wildcats for the 2022-23 season, Woodley continued to work with the offense and catchers in addition to taking over as the first base coach and pitch caller. The Toutle, Wash., native also took on a variety of secondary duties, including serving as the camp coordinator and director, managing the ACU softball brand through various social media outlets, acting as the primary compliance officer, creating comprehensive scouting reports, and designing and keeping inventory on annual ACU softball merchandise.
Prior to her coaching stint at Abilene Christian, Woodley put together a highly successful four-year playing career (2017-20) at Corban University in Salem, Ore., where she helped the Warriors softball team post an incredible 135-49 overall record and played as part of a 2017 squad that finished as the NAIA National runner-up. A two-time all-conference selection (2017 & 2019), Woodley made her mark on the Warrior's record book, finishing her career as the all-time leader in program history with 52 doubles while also ranking third all-time for at-bats (559), total hits (207), and RBIs (137), and seventh all-time with a .370 batting average. Woodley, who also hit 16 home runs, stole 21 bases, and recorded a .983 OPS while appearing in a total of 180 games for the Warriors, earned her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Corban in May 2020.
For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to gomountainlions.com.
SOCIAL
Twitter – @GoMountainLions
Instagram – @gomountainlions
Facebook – GoMountainLions
